Contact:
Nathan Driskell
(325) 673-4587
marketing@thegracemuseum.org

The Grace Museum offers first live Twitter tour of its galleries

ABILENE, Texas (November 19, 2009) –Grace Museum Chief Curator Judy Deaton gave a guided Curator’s Tour of the museum’s current art exhibitions to a small crowd Wednesday morning. And for those who couldn’t be there in person, the event was covered live on The Grace’s Twitter account.

Nathan Driskell, the museum’s marketing manager, followed Deaton’s comments about the curatorial process and individual works of art as the group toured the museum’s galleries, tweeting highlights once every few minutes from his phone during the hour-long tour. The Grace has close to 200 followers of its Twitter account, including Abilene community members and others from across the state and the globe. Driskell said he wants people to feel engaged with the museum even before they set foot in the door.

“We live in an increasingly transparent and connected world, and The Grace is constantly looking to engage people in unique, real ways and on different levels,” Driskell said. “Using Twitter as a connection tool just makes sense, and it’s absolutely in line with the museum’s mission for community enhancement and education.”

Because Wednesday’s tour was in the morning on a weekday, Driskell said the Twitter tour allowed working individuals the opportunity to learn from Deaton’s insights even if they weren’t able to be there in person.

“Based on initial feedback I’ve gotten, this was a success, and we may have to do this again in the future,” Driskell said.

Grace Museum Executive Director Dr. Francine Carraro said The Grace considers social media a priority.

“While museums everywhere are looking at the potential of social media, The Grace Museum is actively participating and pioneering new ways to engage audiences through the use of social media and other avenues,” Carraro said.

Driskell said for future Grace Museum events, he has considered the idea of posting short videos of the events on Twitter as they happen. Twitter users can follow @TheGraceMuseum on Twitter, or visit http://www.twitter.com/TheGraceMuseum.

The Grace Museum is accredited by the American Association of Museums, and houses a children’s museum, history museum, and art museum. At 55,000 square feet, The Grace Museum is the tenth largest general museum in Texas, and is the cornerstone of cultural arts and education in West Texas. The museum is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Grace Museum is a non-profit organization, and the museum’s exhibitions and educational programs are supported in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Texas Commission on the Arts, the Abilene Cultural Affairs Council, the City of Abilene, Taylor County, and the Downtown Revitalization Program of the Tax Increment Finance District.

The Grace Museum is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. every Thursday. Admission is free Thursday evening after 5 p.m.

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